Category Archives: Europe

Sorry for my absence! I have been away for the past few days and I am now going away again. Crossing four countries in two days. It sounds way better than it actually is! I left Ireland towards the UK. After that, I took the boat and needed to cross the beautiful country of Wales until I arrived in England. Now, I am just a couple of hours away from flying to Brazil.

It’s quite tiring, but I am not complaining! Just posted this quickly to let you guys know I am still alive and will post some new stuff very soon!

This is a bit of a risky kind of brew, but I will give it a go anyway.

Some fruits come with a natural coat of wild yeast on their skin. This can be beneficial to your brew, but dangerous, because wild yeast can infect your brew.

The way this mead was done was:

Pick the healthier plums from your tree. In this case, I picked them from my own backyard;

See the white coating? This is the wild yeast on the fruit. The aim of this brew is to use that yeast and that alone to kick start the fermentation. This mead is expected to be low in alcohol, so that the fermentation is quick and it gives less times for any infection to develop;

After a quick rinse, the plums are deseeded and quickly hand pulped. This would make homebrewers cringe, but I did sanitize my hands well! Well, back in the day, wine juice was extracted by stepping on grapes, so why not use my hands? Then soak them on a solution of water, honey, lime and lime zest, which was boiled for one hour. Dump the boiling water onto the plums and close the fermenting bin. That’s it. Give it a bit of a mix for the next two days and leave it. A bit of natural selection, after the boiling water in dumped, only the strongest yeast will survive!

Let’s pretend I only understood the part: “become worn through constant rubbing”. Well, maybe that’s what the challenge is about: Finding what it means to you.

In 2009, I went to Poland, where I visited Auschwitz, but I think I have written enough about it. While in Poland, I also visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

Taking my interpretation of the word, I see these salt mines as something beautiful, but finite. The constant contact of visitors will, eventually, erode the beautiful art works there sculpted. I love the place, but maybe from the work that disappears, a new blank canvas will be left for another to be made.

Kutna what?? Where is that? Well, it very close to Prague and a perfect place for a day trip if you get bored with the beauty of the capital!

Back in the 15th and 16th century, Kutna Hora was the largest producer of silver in Czech Republic. Due to this massive wealth, it became Prague’s main competitor is every aspect: Trade, culture, politics. As part of the main trading route from Northern Europe to Turkey, it enjoyed a cosmopolitan feel until the silver ran out. It went though a steady decline for centuries, but now it feeds on tourism, through its attraction, the main one being the Sedlec Ossuary.

The Sedlec Ossuary is a sinister type of place. Just like the Catacombs of Paris, was created due to the over crowed cemetery in the town. Unlike the catacombs, the Ossuary is somewhat more sinister. A few years ago, an artist was invited to use the bones and decorate the chapel above. The decorations are incredible, but I have mixed feeling about it. There is a beautiful coats of arms of the town made of bones, but it’s weird to think about what they once were!